News from Northside Drive Baptist Church

NORTHSIDE NOTES - September 22, 2010

Celebrate NDBC's 58th Anniversary
September 26, 2010

Covered dish luncheon. Bring your favorite entree', vegetable, salad or dessert and enough to share. Please bring food warmed (no oven until October 1). Coffee and tea provided.

Pastoral Reflections
By James Lamkin

"What I Did on My Summer Vacation"

At the tail-end of July, Liz and I took a few days to watch the sun rise and set on the shores of Lake Oconee. We finally went on vacation.

Wherever I am, even on vacation...perhaps especially on vacation...a book is never far away. Of course, one of the books is the Bible. (I say that because a deacon may be reading and I want to be a good influence!) But also, I carried, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer by Brother David Steindl-Rast, and along with it The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Why those two? Because they both speak of mysteries.

Steindl-Rast is an Austrian-American Roman Catholic theologian and Benedictine monk. He is known for his work in interfaith dialogue and his observations between spirituality and science. I bought his book because of how he delineates prayer from prayers. Prayer, he says,is waking up to the presence of God no matter where we are or what we are doing. Prayers are what we say as expressions of that awakening.

For instance, the Psalms in the Bible contain prayers which are expressions of how the psalmist lived his life as a prayer---awake to God.

Here are some quotes the book: "Prayer is grateful living." "Only a

heart familiar with death will appreciate the gift of life with so deep a feeling of joy." "The heart gives; the fingers just let go."

These notions nudged me to think of my life more as a prayer; then, from time to time, I will try to put my experience of that mystery into words addressed to God. Prayers.

There is nothing more mysterious than prayer and prayers and prayerfulness. We are creatures encased in mystery who yearn for a sense of transcendence.

Then, there is Sherlock Holmes, the astute logician who seeks not faith, but only inferences supported by facts. I savored the stories of the world's first consulting detective early in life. "The game has been afoot," for years. On occasion, I'll read a piece of the canon: fifty-six short stories and four novels.

I am intrigued by Holmes's "methods." I am chastised by his frequent reminder to his best and only friend, Watson, "You see Doctor; but you do not observe." (Liz tells me that all of the time!)

From the reason of 221B Baker Street to the elegant ah-ha of living life as a prayer---I delighted in a week of rich reading.

In the meanwhile, the summer's sun rose and set, unimpeded and unassisted...just like it has been doing for over four billion years. Now that is a mystery.

Habitat Schedule

NDBC Work Days 2010

(Number of Volunteers Needed)

Day 1 - September 25 (8 Volunteers)
* Build exterior and interior walls in warehouse
* Clear crawlspace
* Set floor joists and lay floor decking
* Sheath wall panels and install exterior walls
* Install interior walls
* Tie walls together, straighten and brace
* Install front porch deck, columns, and beams

Day 4 - October 16 (8 Volunteers)
* Finish siding and caulking
* Begin painting exterior
* Begin painting interior

Day 5 - October 23 (5 Volunteers)
* Continue exterior painting
* Finish interior painting
* Install baseboard, window sills and miscellaneous interior trim
* Install kitchen cabinets and countertops
* Begin soffit and fascia

Day 6 - October 30 (5 Volunteers)
* Touch up exterior painting
* Finish soffit and fascia
* Finish interior painting
* Install porch and ramp railings
* Install doorknobs and bathroom hardware

If anyone wishes to sign up prior to that date, please contact Beth Laxton at laxton2125@charter.net or 770-438-7963.

2010-2011 Season Dates
All concerts are at 3 PM, and are offered without charge, but donations are appreciated. Handicap Accessible.

Fall, 2010
September 26 - Stravinsky & Strauss
October 17 - Hindemith & Bartok 'Contrasts'
November 14 - Schubert, Puccini, Massenet

Winter-Spring, 2011
January 23 - Beethoven Piano-Cello Sonatas 3, 4, 5
February 27 - Tango Concert
March 13 - Beethoven Piano-Cello Sonatas 1 & 2
April 17 - Mozart & Brahms Duos
May 8 - Brahms & Dvorak Trios

Full details are contained in the attached 2-page flyer (Adobe PDF reader required). Email: MOTHatNorthsideDrive@gmail.com

Coffee with a Mission

By Rev. Eric Cain

Northside Drive Baptist Church is a congregation involved with and working toward the mission of God in the world, in our local, state, national, and global communities. We are a community that strives to make better decisions in our lives as followers of Christ and engages in awareness of and action on issues around the world that affect all of God's children. One way we are able to make a small, but great, stride toward greater Creation Care and support of best social justice practices in our "corporate" projects is to purchase sustainable, fair trade products that have a "business mind" for both making a great product and supporting environmental and social responsibility. We have an opportunity to support a wonderful coffee ministry that is based here in the Atlanta area: Land of a Thousand Hills (LoTH). LoTH was birthed from a church community in Roswell and has developed a continued partnership with coffee-farming communities in Rwanda. This partnership has served to help a country that, just in the 1990s, experienced a massive genocide and has been working to rebuild its infrastructure and morale. LoTH assures that workers from farms they partner with receive sustainable, living wages, that products are fairly traded, and that communities are able to use best farm practices, education, health, and other resources. The coffee beans are sent to Roswell and roasted locally by trained artisan roasters. Visit their website (http://www.drinkcoffeedogood.com/) to learn more about LoTH. Or better yet, visit one of their locations to see their work in action. The Walton Coffeehouse is just off Akers Mill, not too far from NDBC, on the Chattahoochee River. Or try some at NDBC!

Wednesday Evening Opportunities

Wednesday's, September 8-November 10, from 6-9 PM.
Visit our website, under the "What's Happening" section,
for more details, http://www.northsidedrive.org/.

Pastor's Wednesday Morning Bible Study ttwl